Garlicky Almonds

It’s been a while! Hey! Long time no see!! Glad you’re here! This summer has been a whirlwind of chaos, and almost every single recipe I tried to create or review was a huge flop-ola. Even the rare chance one came out alright, I struggled with capturing it’s greatness in a photo, or ate it all with a huge appreciative smile to finally have a great plate of food in front of my face, and lost the opportunity to take a pic. Keep in mind, I have no official culinary, nor photographic training, so when something comes out well, it’s because it received my full attention and I was able to put my heart into it. Cooking, for me, is an adventure to enjoy, not a professional skill set that I can do with my eyes closed.

Have things suddenly settled down around me? Not quite, but I decided to try to regain some momentum by going back to the recipes that have already won the big smiley faces on my printed out copies of recipes (my rating system), make them again, and present them to you with a review and tips.

Garlicky Almonds? Well, technically they’re called Almonds Italiano, but to get my son to eat them, I have to play up the garlic more than the recipe calls for, since he’s a HUGE fan of garlic! Around here, that’s how I refer to them. The first time I made these was around Christmas time. They were so awesome, I doubled the batch and gave them as holiday gifts in mason jars. I got a lot of requests for the recipe, and my son (who’s very picky) loves them tremendously, so it’s definitely a winner all around.

The only changes I made are actually very minor. Instead of using some random Italian Seasonings, I follow the recommendations at the bottom about the different separate herbs. I leave off the rosemary or I add just a teeny pinch. To me, it’s way too pungent of an herb to have on these, and unless it’s in some form of meat, I typically don’t care for the taste of rosemary. I add a 1/2 tsp more garlic powder, and instead of baking on foil, I bake the nuts on parchment paper. As soon as they’re out of the oven and still hot, I sprinkle them generously with some Himalayan pink salt, and shake them around on the pan a bit so they don’t stick together too much. Let them cool off!! Have patience grasshopper, they taste a lot better cooled off to room temperature. I know. I’m infamous for “tasting” scalding hot things right out of the pan/oven. Trust me on this one. Oh, and I don’t get too hung up on the amount of almonds. I buy a 16oz bag of whole natural almonds, and just use that.

With back to school, and an even fuller work schedule ahead, these are a great snack for everyone in the family, especially since they don’t require any special storage (a simple jar or freezer bag in the cupboard are just fine), don’t take a lot of prep work, and are easy to just grab a few in a baggie and go! Don’t forget, these would also make a great dish on a table at a party as well.